Egosoft Interactive FAQ

If you buy a game that uses Steamworks on DVD then you simply install it in the same way you would with any other DVD game. The game will automatically be installed from the DVD into your Steam folder along with any other Steam games you have. After installation, any updates that have been released since the DVD was distributed will automatically be downloaded in the background. The resulting installation will be identical to what you would have had if you had bought the game online through Steam, but with a lot less download bandwidth required to get it to that state.

The installer on the DVD also handles the Steam side of things, performing only the necessary tasks from the following list.

If you don't have the Steam client installed at the start of the installation then it will be downloaded and installed.

If you already have a Steam account then you can log in to that, otherwise you can create one.

If you've not previously activated your game on Steam then you'll be asked to enter the activation key which is supplied as part of the DVD package.

Both X3: Albion Prelude and the forthcoming X Rebirth are Steamworks games.

Other DVD Games

If you have X3: Terran Conflict or X-Superbox on DVD then you can use your game registration code, also known as a community code, to activate your game on Steam. In the Steam client, choose the Activate a Product on Steam option from the Games menu, and enter the code that came with your game. The code is usually printed on the back of the game manual, but if you have already registered your game in your forum profile on the Egosoft site then you can also recover the code from there.

If you have any of the older games such as X3: Reunion, bought individually or as part of any package other than the X-Superbox, then you cannot activate your game on Steam. You can however use the Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library option from the Games menu in the Steam client to enable you to launch them as thought they were a Steam game. Games added in this way will not be updated automatically if the version on Steam gets updated.

Note: A full installation of X3: Terran Conflict is around 8Gb, so downloading after activation may take a while! Unfortunately due to a change in Steam file formats, you can no longer shorten this process by copying the contents of a disk-based X3:Terran Conflict installation into the Steam folder.